Of the eight states, Washington will have both the biggest increase in the minimum wage -at 37 cents an hour, or $770 a year - and the highest minimum wage in the nation, at $9.04 an hour, according to NELP. All of the eight states have minimum wages that are above the federally prescribed rate of $7.25 an hour.

A ninth state, Nevada, also could raise its minimum wage in 2012, but that would not happen until July. Missouri has previously tied its minimum wage to inflation, but the state announced that its rate would stay at the federal level, where it has been since July 2009.

As Statelinenoted earlier this year , automatic increases in state minimum wages can be controversial.While supporters of the increases see them as economic stimulus measures that will provide more money to working Americans, detractors note that the burden will fall on businesses. Companies in Florida and Washington sued to block the latest round of increases, but lost in both states.

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